Welcome to my stop on the Official Blog Tour for Modern Monsters by Kelley York. Keep on reading below to find my review along with the awesome giveaway!! You can follow this tour here
Modern Monsters
by Kelley York
Release Date: 06/02/15
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads:
Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He’s the Invisible Guy at
school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his
best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went…
And wished he hadn’t.
Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible,
unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler’s life will never be the same. Plus,
now Callie has told the police that Vic did it. Suddenly, Invisible Vic
is painfully visible, on trial both literally, with the police, and
figuratively, with the angry and judgmental kids at school. As the
whispers and violence escalate, he becomes determined to clear his name,
even if it means an uneasy alliance with Callie’s best friend, the
beautiful but aloof Autumn Dixon.
But as Autumn and Vic slowly peel back the layers of what happened that
night, they realize that while the truth can set him free, it can also
shatter everything he thought he knew about his life…
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Modern Monsters is the story of Callie, a high school senior who was raped one night while at a lake house party for both college and high school kids. What makes this story so utterly different and unique compared to any other with this subject matter is that it’s not told from Callie’s POV as the victim. This story is told from Vic’s POV; a shy, introverted teenage boy who is wrongly accused of raping Callie. It was this change in POV that made me want to read Modern Monsters, I had a feeling that Vic’s story was going to not only be great but also important. The reality is that these things really happen and as tragic as raped is, what can be almost as tragic is a young man being wrongfully accused because let’s face it, once that word is associated with someone it’s not a stigma that will just go away with a not guilty verdict. We can be quick to pass judgements without having all the facts, especially teenagers and this is exactly what Vic experiences and goes through.
I went into this story prepared for the onslaught of what Vic might experience while dealing with the police and kids from school. What I was NOT prepared for was the reaction of Vic’s mother. As a mom fiercely protective over my children, I found it disturbing to read the interactions between Vic and his mom. I understood why she was traumatized by the situation and I couldn’t even begin to grasp the amount of strength it would take to get through a past such as her own but what she does to her son is so brutal and so, so wrong! Her mistreatment of him was going on long before he was even accused of anything. I swear, I just wanted to reach through my Kindle and strangle the woman, she disgusted me! The way she treated Vic was abusive and neglectful and the poor guy had no idea what he had done wrong. My heart broke for Vic as I imagined a young boy waking up one day to find his mother’s love replaced with hatred. His mom should have gotten her shit together and sought counseling when she started to feel the way she did.
My So-Called Review:
Modern Monsters is the story of Callie, a high school senior who was raped one night while at a lake house party for both college and high school kids. What makes this story so utterly different and unique compared to any other with this subject matter is that it’s not told from Callie’s POV as the victim. This story is told from Vic’s POV; a shy, introverted teenage boy who is wrongly accused of raping Callie. It was this change in POV that made me want to read Modern Monsters, I had a feeling that Vic’s story was going to not only be great but also important. The reality is that these things really happen and as tragic as raped is, what can be almost as tragic is a young man being wrongfully accused because let’s face it, once that word is associated with someone it’s not a stigma that will just go away with a not guilty verdict. We can be quick to pass judgements without having all the facts, especially teenagers and this is exactly what Vic experiences and goes through.
I went into this story prepared for the onslaught of what Vic might experience while dealing with the police and kids from school. What I was NOT prepared for was the reaction of Vic’s mother. As a mom fiercely protective over my children, I found it disturbing to read the interactions between Vic and his mom. I understood why she was traumatized by the situation and I couldn’t even begin to grasp the amount of strength it would take to get through a past such as her own but what she does to her son is so brutal and so, so wrong! Her mistreatment of him was going on long before he was even accused of anything. I swear, I just wanted to reach through my Kindle and strangle the woman, she disgusted me! The way she treated Vic was abusive and neglectful and the poor guy had no idea what he had done wrong. My heart broke for Vic as I imagined a young boy waking up one day to find his mother’s love replaced with hatred. His mom should have gotten her shit together and sought counseling when she started to feel the way she did.
I loved Vic and was fascinated by his character! He is such a sweet, gentle and kind soul; even after all the crap life throws at him he never loses sight of who he is. Autumn was a perfect match for him; I just loved the two of them together. I wasn’t expecting a romance in this type of story and at first was a tad disappointed when I saw it heading that way. Thankfully, their feelings for each developed slowly and realistically which in turn made the budding relationship completely believable and I ended up loving it.
The mystery of who actually raped Callie IMO wasn’t too hard to figure out but that didn’t bother me or detract from this story. This is about Vic’s journey to find the truth and clear his name and it was completely believable that he didn’t know the truth behind the rape until the very end. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read Modern Monsters, this is the first book I’ve read by Kelley York but it certainly won’t be my last! Because this story is told through Vic’s POV there isn’t anything graphic surrounding the rape, he wasn’t there. Due to this, I believe this book is suitable for YA’s age 16 & up, as long as the subject matter in general isn’t a trigger. My daughter is 16 and I’ve already told her I want her to read this book, there are several very powerful messages here that would be great for teens to read. Kudos to Kelley York for showing us a different side of tragedy we don’t normally think about!
Thank you to the publisher, Entangled Teen and to NetGalley for the complimentary, advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
"I like unicorns and cats and games...and stuff..." - quality author quote by Kelley
Thank you to the publisher, Entangled Teen and to NetGalley for the complimentary, advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
About the Author
"I like unicorns and cats and games...and stuff..." - quality author quote by Kelley
Kelley York was born in central California, where she still resides with her
lovely wife, step-daughter and way too many cats, while fantasizing
about moving to England or Ireland. (Or, really, anyplace secluded.) She
has a fascination with bells and animals and Disney. Her life goal is
to find a real unicorn. Or to at least write about them. She occupies
her spare time with video games,designing covers, playing on Tumblr and watching anime.
Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted
characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you
wondering and crying. She strives to make character development take
center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and
the workings of their mind are limitless.
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GIVEAWAY:
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I am a big reader and signed copies of books are my passion. I hope I win the book.
ReplyDeleteThey are my favorite prize to win too!! Gift cards are great but there's nothing like a signed book :)
DeleteThank you so very much, glad you enjoyed it :)
ReplyDelete